Journey of a Dark Phoenix: Birth
by Myari
Summary: Rewrite of Journey of a Dark Phoenix. Harry Potter is the younger Haiden Potter, the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. A young Harry meets someone that changes his life in a way he never believed possible. When Harry and his brother are thrown into the wizarding world at the age of 11, Harry turns the Wizarding world upside down.
1. Chapter 0

**Summary:**

Harry Potter is the younger brother of Haiden Potter, the 'Boy-Who-Lived' and the favorite nephew of their Aunt and Uncle. After his usual beating from his older brother and cousin, a young Harry meets someone that changes his life in a way he never believed possible by making Harry his wizard apprentice and teach him the ways of a Dark Wizard. When Harry and his brother are thrown into the Wizarding World at the age of 11, Harry turns the Wizarding World upside down.

 **Chapter 0- Prolog: Connected Universe**

If you have not read my other series 'You Will Remember Me' then it is safe to say that you have not met me, I am known to everyone by many names: The Fallen, Lord of Shadows, Yin and Yang, the Boogie Man, Death, the Grim Reaper, Father Time. However, this time I am going under a new name: The Writer.

You see over the years as I've watched the one universe split off into multiple different universes because of every choice you make, I have decided to document just a few of them that have caught my eye. This is just one of the many.

Oh, but don't worry. You don't have to read all of them to understand what is going on in one. The only connection any of these stories have is me.

I will take no more of your time, though time is of little relevance to me.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1- A Snake and an Invisible Man**

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of Number Four Private Drive were proud to say that they were very normal. They believed that if you were to look up the world 'normal' in the dictionary, that their normal family picture would be there. They were the very last people that would be involved in anything not normal, such as magic or any other strange and abnormal things.

Vernon Dursley was a huge, muscular man with hardly any neck with a large mustache. Petunia Dursley was thin and blonde, and had twice the neck that most considered normal, a neck she used to look over fences to spy on neighbors. And Dudley Dursley was their only son, who, in Vernon and Petunia's opinion, could do no wrong.

This small family of three had everything, even a dark and dirty secret, and their greatest fear is that someone would discover it. They didn't think they would be able to bear it if anyone found their dirty secret: The Potters. Lily Potter was Petunia Dursley's younger half-sister, but they hadn't met in many years simply because Petunia liked to pretend that Lily didn't exist. And all because the Potters were abnormal.

The Dursleys knew that the Potters had two young twin boys: Haiden and Harry. But they'd never met them. Haiden and Harry were their normal reason for keeping the Potters away. They didn't want Dudley to mix with abnormal children like them.

So it was a nightmare come true when Petunia opened the front door one morning to put out the milk bottles to find two one year old babies bundled in their blanket with a letter sat neatly between them.

 **~Birth~**

Eight years have passed since Harry and his older twin brother were left on their Aunt and Uncle's front door. Eight years since Petunia and Vernon were forced to take the Potter twins in. And seven years since Petunia and Vernon started to favor Haiden over Harry, for reasons Harry did not know. All Harry knew was that because he was not one of the favorites like Haiden and Dudley, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon did not care for what happened to Harry.

As a factor of that, young nine year old Harry Potter found himself with his brother holding his arms behind his back while his cousin Dudley punched him. This seemed to happen everyday. Haiden, Dudley and even sometimes their friends would hunt down Harry and beat him up for no other reason than they could and he was different. And Harry Potter was different from all the other boys. Harry didn't care for playing outside because he would rather sit inside and read. Harry wasn't loud and rambunctious like the other boys his age. However, his smarts weren't the only thing that made him different, he also seemed to make things happen that shouldn't be possible.

Over the years, Harry had learned that not sticking out and blending into the background was the best for not being seen by his Aunt and Uncle. He also learned that nothing seemed to help him not be seen by his brother. Harry had also learned not to trust anyone that offered to help him or told him that he could trust them. He had told three people about his abuse at home and they didn't do anything, they even acted as if they had forgotten.

The first person he told was his teacher. She had seemed to notice how his cousin and brother were treating him. She also took note of how the other kids seemed to follow their lead and had sat him down after class. Harry had trusted her, had opened up and told her all that was happening at home. Had told her about the fact that his Aunt and Uncle favored Dudley and Haiden while he was forced to cook and clean. He told her about the fact that his bedroom was the cupboard under the stairs, how the only meals he had at home was stale bread and one cup of water. How he was only allowed to use the bathroom once in the morning and once at night, and how he was locked in his cupboard without food and water and had to go in his cupboard when he had to use the restroom. And how Dudley and Haiden were encouraged to beat him.

After Harry had told her everything, his teacher had started taking him to the headmistress when a strange man with a long white beard, sparkly blue eyes, and strange clothing appeared in front of them with a small 'pop'. Without a word, the strange man pulled out what looked like a polished stick, waved it around, before disappearing again with another small 'pop'. After the man had left, Harry's teacher blinked before acting like she had forgotten everything that Harry had just informed her and had sent him home.

The second person Harry had trusted enough to open up to about his abuse was the school nurse. The school nurse had noticed how small and tiny Harry was and had called Harry into his office to talk to him about it. Harry had opened up to him, only to have that strange man with the polish stick arrive. He waved the stick and then left. The school nurse had conveniently forgotten everything.

Harry's last attempt to open up to a human had been with a Constable. Harry had been trying to run away from Haiden, Dudley, and their 'gang' during a game that has been dubbed 'Harry Hunting'. Harry had run straight into the Constable's back who questioned him about what he was doing. So Harry told him everything. The strange man and his polished stick appeared. The end result: Harry was sent away to play his game with a warning to watch where he was going and three cracked ribs, a broken nose, busted lip, and being thrown into his cupboard and starved for a week after dripping blood on his Aunt's clean floor.

After that, Harry swore never to open up to a human ever again.

 **~Birth~**

It was after his daily beating and Harry was slowly limping around the outside of his house to the back yard, dragging three book bags while keeping an eye and ear out for his brother and cousin, just encase they decided to come back to beat him some more. He wiped the blood from the fresh cut on his forehead out of his eye. He let out a pain filled hiss when he put too much pressure on his swollen ankle.

When Harry had finally managed to limp all the way to a shaded spot in the backyard that he had dubbed his 'Homework' spot. He dropped the book bags onto the ground before carefully lowering himself to the ground. After taking a few moments to fight through his pain he pulled his cousin's book bag in his lap before pulling out the Maths book.

Harry had only gotten through five of the problems when a hiss floated up from the ground beside him. He glanced down to see a beautiful black and silver snake looking up at him. Harry smiled and gently pet the snake. This snake was his one true friend. Someone who always seemed to be there for him.

"Hello, Tom, how are you today?" Harry asked the snake before turning his attention back to his cousin's homework.

"I'm fine Harry, I see you're not though." Tom hissed.

"It is nothing that I am not used to." Harry muttered as he wrote the correct answer on one of Dudley's math problems. Harry heard Tom hiss out in anger. Harry sighed and rested his hand on the ground next to Tom to let him slither up his arm. "Do not be mad, Tom, everything is alright. It is nothing that I cannot handle."

"That's just it, Harry, you're only nine years old, you shouldn't have to be used to getting beaten everyday. You shouldn't have to be used to wondering if you'll get to eat tonight or not. You shouldn't have to be used to being starved for something you can't help, for something that was out of your control." Tom hissed and Harry paused in answering question before continuing to answer the questions.

"You are right, I should not be used to this. However, as it stands, this is my life and there is nothing that can change that fact." Harry said forcing himself not to tear up. He had learned long ago that crying got him nowhere but in more pain.

"What if I were to tell you there may be a way for you to change your life." Tom told Harry who laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah, okay, I would love to see that." Harry said with a slight anger to his voice.

"I can show you how to change your life, if that's what you want." Tom promised and Harry stopped working on Dudley's homework, and even though Harry knew that he should say no that if he said yes than he would just be getting his hopes up just like all the other times. Harry bent his head so that his bangs were covering his eyes.

"You are not lying to me, are you Tom? There is a way for me to change my life?" Harry asked darkly.

"Have I ever lied to you?" Tom asked.

"No, but I feel there is something about you that you are not telling me." Harry said looking at Tom who was looking shocked. "The other snakes I talk to do not talk the same way you do. The other snakes speak brokenly, even the ones that have spent their whole lives living near humans, but you speak just like a human. Why is that?" Harry asked.

"I should've known you would've caught on eventually." Tom said as he slithered back down Harry's body to the ground. "I do wish to tell you that I didn't mean to deceive you for so long, but I noticed your mistrust in not only adults but humans as well." As Tom spoke, a fog rose from his body and began to form a figure of a tall slightly see-through man with short, black hair and dark red-brown eyes. "I would appreciate it if you allow me the chance to explain." Harry looked away from the figure to look back at the Maths homework in thought.

"I suppose I could hear your explanation." Harry muttered glancing back at the figure who smiled gratefully at him.

"I didn't lie to you when I told you my name, that's still Tom Riddle, but for years now I've been known by another name: Lord Voldemort. Only those who I trust with my life know my real name." Tom informed. "May I sit next to you."

"If you want." Harry said with little emotion in his voice. Tom slowly sat down next to Harry, watching him closely and looking ready to jump up at any moment, should Harry decide to bolt.

"I've been watching you and your brother for as long as you've both been here. I possessed this snake to get close to you when you began to show signs of being able to talk and understand snakes like me. I needed a way to get close to you." Tom continued to explain.

"Why did you want to get close to me?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Because we're a lot a like." Tom said. Harry narrowed his eyes in thought.

"How?" Harry asked.

"I also grew up with no parents in an orphanage that treated me worse than dirt because I was different. I could do things that they couldn't. I could make things disappear. I could make things shrink. I could transport myself. And I could talk to snakes." Tom could see Harry remembering all the times he had done something that should not have been possible.

There was a time at the zoo when the exhibit window for a Boa Constrictor had mysteriously vanished after he had been pushed to the ground by Haiden. Then there was the time when he shrunk a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) that Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into. The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fit a hand puppet. Thankfully Aunt Petunia had decided that it must have shrunk in the wash and Harry hadn't been punished. On the other hand, he had gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley, Haiden, and their 'gang' had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's Headmistress telling them that Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do was jump behind the big rubbish bin outside the kitchen doors.

"Alright." Harry said slowly while giving Tom a hard stare. "Let us say I believe you. How will this knowledge change my life?"

"Before I'm able to answer that question, there's one very important question that I must ask you: Do you believe in magic." Harry's eyes flew from Tom to the back door as if expecting his Aunt or Uncle to appear and beat him.

"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon always tell me that there is no such thing as magic." Harry muttered looking and sounding his age for once. Reminding Tom that even though Harry spoke and acted like a mature adult, that he was still very much a child that needed protection.

"Do you believe that?" Tom asked Harry who looked away in thought. Tom stayed silent and let Harry think and decide for himself, knowing that he had never been allowed that opportunity.

"If magic is not real," Harry started slowly after a few minutes, "then how was I able to make the impossible possible? So, yes, I do believe in magic."

"That's good, because you and your brother are wizards." Tom told him and Harry sat in silence as he thought about all the time he had done the impossible in a new light.

"That makes everything make much more sense." Harry muttered before looking at Tom from the corner of his eye. "And you are a wizard as well, are you not?"

"Yes, I was." Tom said and watched Harry look him up and down.

"And now you are a ghost." Harry noted.

"Technically yes, I'm a ghost but that doesn't mean I'm dead." Tom said and could tell he had confused Harry. "It's very confusing. I'm not alive, yet at the same time I'm not dead. You see, Harry, there's a war going on in the Wizarding World between the Dark side, my side, and the Light side, Dumbledore's side."

"Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"That old man that always shows up when you try to tell people about the abuse here." Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously at that. "Eight years ago, I went to your parents, for the third time, to get them to leave Dumbledore's side and join my side to try and protect them from Dumbledore's manipulations. Your father declined and tried to kill me, so I killed him. Your mother was smarter and actually listened to me and would have most likely switched sides had that old fool not appeared. We fought and your mother, while protecting both you and your brother, was a casualty in that fight. It's a slight blur after that, so I don't truly know what happened, but what I do know is that a wave of magic coming from the crib that held both you and your brother separated me from my body and destroyed the house." Tom stopped speaking at the far away look on Harry's face, it looked almost as if Harry were trying to remember that night.

"What happened to Dumbledore?" Harry asked confusing Tom. "You said the wave of magic separated you from your body, but what did it do to Dumbledore?"

"I don't know." Tom said shaking his head. "I just remember agonizing pain as my soul was ripped from my body and then days or weeks, maybe even months, later waking up in front of this house and being drawn to it, to you." The two sat in silence as Tom allowed Harry to take everything in and process it how ever he needed to.

"If you are not technically dead, does that mean you can be revived?" Harry asked.

"That's the hope, yes." Tom confessed.

"So you need my help?" Harry asked and Tom sighed.

"I honestly don't know what I need from you, if I need anything from you. All I know is that I'm drawn to you by some force and that I'm the reason you and your brother are here." Tom explained.

"Because kill our father and may have killed our mother while fighting Dumbledore." Harry said.

"Not only that, but because Dumbledore wanted to 'protect' your brother from my Death Eaters." Harry looked confused at that. "My followers." Tom explained. "My Death Eaters are looking for your brother after he was named the boy-who-lived. Dumbledore claimed to the whole Wizarding World that it was your brother that defeated me when my Killing Curse rebounded off of him and back on to me, effectively 'killing' me. It was then that Dumbledore placed both you and your brother here to be protected by the Blood Wards."

"Blood Wards?" Harry asked.

"Blood Wards are protective barriers that protect the people that share the same blood and live in the same house. However, they can only be activated by love." Tom explained.

"Then only Haiden is being protected by these Blood Wards. Why am I here when I would be safer else where?" Harry asked.

"You're here because Haiden is your twin brother. Dumbledore couldn't just leave Haiden here to be protected and have you living at an orphanage or in another house away from him, it would cause too many questions."

"I see." Harry said. "Moreover, how is any of this knowledge going to change my life?"

"Because now that you know you have magic and have been accidentally using it, you can be taught how to properly use your magic. If you're willing to allow me, I can teach you how to properly use your magic." Tom told him.

"You can still use magic in that form?" Harry asked and Tom shook his head.

"But just because I can't use magic in this form doesn't mean I can't teach you." Tom told him. "Do you wish to learn how to control your magic and become my apprentice?" Harry took a few minutes to think over the question, Tom hoped that Harry would take him up on his offer. Something was telling him that Harry would be a powerful force and he would rather be on Harry's safe side than against him.

"I will gladly accept your offer of becoming your apprentice and learning to control my magic." Harry told Tom who let out a breath of relief. "Is this how it is done in the Wizarding world?" Tom looked confused so Harry elaborated. "Is this how one becomes a wizard? By becoming the apprentice of another wizard?"

"This hasn't been the official way of learning magic for years. Long ago, it was common for a young, untrained wizards to leave their family and follow an older, and wiser, trained wizard and learn from them. Some of the older Dark Wizard families still do this, at least until the wizard or witch becomes eleven, it's at that time they are sent to a magical school. There are several different magical schools scattered around the world, but you and your brother will be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry located in Scotland. All magical children in Britain go to Hogwarts unless their parents decide other wise. Fare warning, Hogwarts is Albus's domain, seeing as he is the Headmaster."

"What is Hogwarts like?" Harry asked soaking in all the new information he was receiving.

"Hogwarts is actually quite a wonderful place, and if we can get rid of Albus and his manipulating ways, we can return it back to that wonderful place. For the longest time, when I went there, I considered it my home, that is until Albus tainted it." Tom realized he had begun to rant and cleared his throat, though he had no need to do so in this form, it was just a way to by some time to get his thoughts back on track. "At Hogwarts the students are split into four different Houses, which will become like your family."

"Great, sounds awesome, I do not want to go." Harry said.

"You misunderstood me, Harry. When I say they become like your family, I don't mean like your relatives, I mean like a true family. You'll create bonds with your Housemates and grow to care for them and help each other when needed, like a true family. And sometimes you may even find your soul mate within your Housemates." Tom said trying to ease Harry's worry.

"I see." Harry said looking away in thought, Tom knew from his time watching young Harry grow that Harry never knew the love a family. He, himself, had been the very same when he started Hogwarts. "And what are the names of these House?" Harry asked. It always fascinated him how Harry spoke, as if his mind and soul belonged to someone older who had spent their whole life in royalty.

"The Houses are named Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. The Houses were named after the four founders of Hogwarts: Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Godric Gryffindor. The Slytherin House values ambition, cunning, and resourcefulness. Their House colors are emerald-green and silver, and their mascot is a Snake. Ravenclaw House values wit, wisdom, intelligence, and creativity. Their House colors are royal blue and bronze, and their mascot is an Eagle. The Hufflepuff House values hard work, loyalty, and fair play above all else. Their House colors are canary yellow and black, and their mascot is a Badger. And the Gryffindor House values courage, chivalry, and stupidity. Their House colors are maroon and gold, and their mascot is a Lion." Tom informed him.

"And what House was yours?" Harry asked.

"Slytherin." Tom said.

"So, according to everything you have told me, young wizards and witches that have just turned the age of eleven go to a Wizarding School to be taught how to control their magic. So, one is to assume that only wizards and witches are allowed to go to a magical school?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but, Harry, you should know that there are different statuses of Wizard Blood." Tom told him.

"That makes sense. What are these differences?" Harry asked, his homework long forgotten.

"A true wizard must know and understand all the Blood Statuses." Tom said and Harry nodded quickly pulling out a different notebook from his backpack and opened it to a clean page, pencil ready to take notes.

"The first, and top, of the blood statuses are the Pure-Blood Wizards. A Pure-Blood is a wizard, or witch, that was born from two magical parents. Most Pure-Blood families marry other Pure-Blood families to keep their blood pure, one such family is the Malfoy family, you will meet the youngest Malfoy at Hogwarts. However, there are some Pure-Blood families that don't care about Pure-Blood statuses like the Weasely family.

"The second are the Half-Bloods which, most of the time, are wizards that are born from one magical parent and one non-magical parent, but that is not always the case. In yours and your brother's case, you two are technically Pure-Bloods since you were both born from two magical parents. However, since your mother is considered to be a Muggleborn, you two are considered to be Half-Blood in the eyes of the Wizarding Society.

"The next are the Muggleborns. These are wizards, or witches, that are born from two non-magical parents. This isn't an uncommon occurrence. After Muggleborns are the Squibs. A Squib is someone non-magical that's born form two magical parents, this, too, isn't an uncommon occurrence. At Hogwarts there's a Squib by the name of Flinch, he's the caretaker." Tom said watching Harry quickly take note of everything he was saying. Tom couldn't seem to take his eyes off the elegant cursive writing that didn't seem to belong to the young boy. When Tom had been able to finally take his eyes off the writing he noticed Harry watching him, waiting for him to continue. Tom knew that if he had still been living, he would have blushed. He cleared his throat again.

"Right, now, there is something very important you need to know. Most Pure-Blood families that still believe in Pure-Blood statuses look down on both the Squibs and the Muggleborns, or Mudbloods. This is an insult that literally mean 'Dirty Blood'." Tom continued.

"You keep saying 'Muggleborn', what is a Muggle?" Harry asked.

"A Muggle is what we call someone that's non-magical." Tom told him. "Now that the history lesson is over, would you like to learn magic?"

"I believe I do." Harry said.

"Right, first, close your eyes and clear your mind." Harry closed his eyes and focused on clearing his mind. It was harder than he thought, but after a few minutes he was able to clear it. "Take deep, even breaths, and focus only on your breathing. In through your nose and out through your mouth, match your breathing to your heart beat." Harry followed the instructions and soon found himself in a trance like state. When Tom spoke to him again, his voice sounded far away. "Good, very good. Now, if you can hear my voice, focus on my voice." Harry did as he was told and even though he was still in his trance like state, he focused on Tom's voice allowing it to become louder and stronger.

"Now Harry, I need you to search deep within yourself and try to find your magical core." Harry allowed himself to float in his trance like state searching for anything that could be his magical core. He had no idea what he was looking for but when he found a silver and green ball of something he couldn't name that was pulsing with power he knew he had found his magical core. He reached out to touch it when it reached out and wrapped around him, warming him. "Wonderful Harry! Now, in your mind I want you to form your magical core into a thin, flat sheet and cover it over any part of your body that hurts and imagine it healing you.

Harry willed his magical core to form a flat sheet in his hand and was amazed when his magical core actually formed into the flat sheet. Using his free hand, Harry pulled a thin piece of his magical core off the sheet and was amazed to see a nearly see-through sheet dangling from between his fingers. He carefully put the sheet on his forehead that was pulsing in pain and a second later the pain was gone. Harry smirked and began to pill off sheets of his magical core and placed them on every part of his body that hurt.

"Good," Tom's voice cut through his trance like state one all of his pain was gone, "now, gently let go of your magical core and come back." Harry watched, kind of sad, when his magical core left his body and back into the void. He then allowed himself to leave his trance like state and when he opened his eyes and suddenly felt more tired than he had ever been. "Good job Harry, you just learned how to heal yourself."

"Why do I feel so tired?" Harry asked and was shocked when his voice came out slurred.

"That's how it always is when you first use your magic." Tom informed him.

"But I was not tired after I used my magic before." Harry said confused.

"That's because you never technically used your magic before, Harry. Your magic reacted to your emotions and lashed out. What you just did, right now, was take control of your magic and bend it to your will and make it do exactly what you wanted it to. That, Harry, is what being a wizard is all about. But don't worry, the more you use your magic, the less tired you will be." Tom told him.

"I see. That is good to know." Harry slurred out causing Tom to chuckle.

"Go get some sleep." Tom said.

"Sleep, yes, that sounds like an excellent idea." Harry said standing up after packing up all the homework and notebooks, he went to make his way back to his relative's house when something popped into his mind. "What do I call you now?"

"What?" Tom asked confused.

"Well, you informed me that you only allow certain people to call you by your true name, and see as everyone believes you are dead I do not think that calling you 'Lord Voldemort' would be a good idea. So, I will ask you again, what do I call you now?" Harry asked and Tom looked away from him in thought.

"Master." Tom said looking Harry in the eye. "You may call me Master."

"Very well. Master, I bid you goodnight." Harry said before finally making his way, stumbling, to his relatives house. Once inside, he walked over to his cupboard and fell onto his cot. He tiredly reached over and closed the door before falling into a deep and restful sleep. As he slept he dreamt of a young man with long silver hair and ice white eyes with slits for pupils. The second the young man noticed Harry looking at him, he smiled widely showing sharp teeth.

"There you are, my love." The young man said and moved to get closer to Harry, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier. The young man growled low and dangerous, and even though Harry knew he should have been frightened of not only the young man but also of his animalistic growl, he felt no fear. Harry took a few steps towards the barrier and rested his hand on it and was happy when the young man did the same. "So close and yet so far. But do not worry, my dear, I will find you. And after I find you, I will protect you from any and all things that wish harm to you. Please, my dear, my love, wait for me, I know I am on the path that will lead me to you." Harry could do nothing but nod.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- The Letters**

Two years have flown by since Harry, soon to be eleven, met the real Tom and began to train his magic. Everyday, when Harry found free time from all of his chores, he would sit down with his Master to practice and learn magic or to just meditate with his Master. Also, every night, after he had used his magic, he would dream of that mysterious young man. Over the two years, Harry had gotten excellent at controlling his magic and found that Self-Healing and Manipulation were his specialty. He had even began to Manipulate his relatives into giving him more food. However, even though he was getting more food, he was still shorter than his proper height should be because of all the neglect and time spent in his cupboard. Harry had also decided to keep his training with his Master a secret, knowing it would not go over well with his relatives.

Right now, Harry was sitting in the library researching a name for himself, on his Master's orders. A year ago, he had found out that his Master's name, 'Voldemort', meant 'Flight of Death' in French. Harry sighed and was about to give up for the day and begin again tomorrow when a word caught his eyes: 'Phoenix'. From what Harry remembered, a Phoenix was a legendary bird that lived for five or six centuries in the Arabian desert. When it died, it burned itself on a funeral pyre and rose from the ashes with renewed youth. Harry smirked. He would take this name for himself, he would be called Phoenix by his Master's Death Eaters when his Master finally rose again.

Harry stood up and placed the books, that he had been using, back on the shelves before walking out the front door and toward the park. It was time to inform his Master of his new name, and it would be a great chance to meditate. Harry walked to a tree to sit in the shade, he sat down and cleared his mind of all thoughts, as his Master had taught him, before going into his mind palace which he had transformed into a library. Also, with the help of his Master, Harry had been able to make it so that when anyone who had not been invited into his mind palace would be trapped in an ever-changing labyrinth.

Harry opened his eyes when his magic alerted him of someone standing in front of him. It was his Master. Harry quickly stood up and bowed his head in respect as he had been taught. "Master, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Harry." Tom said sitting down and motioned for Harry to sit.

"I wish to inform you that I have finally found a name for myself." Harry said sitting back down.

"Oh?" Tom asked. "What is it?"

"Phoenix." Harry informed Tom. "I chose that name because I will rise from the ashes that is my life now and I will be reborn into a new person."

"Phoenix." Tom said, obviously testing the new name, before nodding. "Yes, that name will be perfect for you. When it's time for my return, Phoenix will be named as my apprentice, allowing Harry the freedom to move without worry in the world." Harry smiled, proud that his Master accepted the name. "Now, there's something you should know. Yours and your brother's Hogwarts letters will be arriving soon, they should most likely arrive a few days before your eleventh birthday."

"Will you be joining me at Hogwarts, Master?" Harry asked pulling his knees to his chest, he didn't want to go to a new place without at least one person he knew there.

"Of course. I've acquired a new vessel, one that actually sought me out. However, even if I wasn't there, you wouldn't be alone, I have a spy stationed at Hogwarts. Find Severus Snape and tell him you're my apprentice and that I've ordered him to help you learn Occlumency and Legilimency, you'll need them to survived around Dumbledore." Tom ordered before glancing up at the afternoon sky. "It's getting late, if you want to be able to finish up your chores before your relatives come back, you should head home now." Harry glanced up at the sky as well.

"Yes, Master." Harry said standing up and dusting the dirt off of him before rushing home. Once there he took notice of how much he had left to do and summoned his magic to help him wash, dry, and fold the clothes, clean the house, and do the dishes as he started on dinner. He had just pulled the ham out of the oven when his Aunt Petunia arrived home first, she sent him to his cupboard with a small plate of food that Harry had manipulated out of her.

 **~Birth~**

The weeks leading up to Harry and Haiden's birthday flew by faster than Harry thought they would, even with his chore list growing ever longer along side Dudley's and Haiden's birthday lists. And everyday, as Harry was forced to wait in the hall for the mail as his relatives ate the breakfast he had made for them, Harry would wonder how life at Hogwarts would be. How different it would be to life here. How the students would treat him? And if it would just end up the same as all the others years at his grade schools.

On Tuesday, a week before Harry and Haiden's birthday, the letters came, just like Tom said they would. And even though Harry had known they would be coming, actually seeing them sitting on top of the pile of mail was shocking to him. He quickly picked up the pile of mail before taking one of the letters to him and his brother. The envelope was thick and heavy. It was made of yellow parchment, and the address was written in green ink. However, what really caught Harry's attention was that there was no stamp, he turned the letter over and found a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms: A Lion, an Eagle, a Badger, and a Snake surrounding a large letter 'H'. Harry turned the letter back over and saw how the letter was addressed.

 **Mr H. Potter**

 **The Cupboard Under The Stairs**

 **4 Private Drive**

 **Little Whinging**

 **Surrey**

"Hurry up boy!" Uncle Vernon called from the dinning room startling Harry out of the trance he had been pulled into by the letter. "What are you doing? Checking the mail for bombs?" Uncle Vernon laughed at his own joke as Harry rolled his eyes while he turned to head into the dinning room. Harry handed his uncle the hill and the postcard that had also been in the mail, then handed Haiden his letter before he sat down. Harry slowly began to open the yellow envelope, careful not to rip it or the letter it held. Next to him, Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped the postcard over. "Marge's ill." He informed Aunt Petunia, "Ate a funny whelk-"

"Dad!" Dudley cried out suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!" It was then that Harry realized he had been too hasty in opening his letter, he should have hidden his letter in his cupboard and waited until that night to read it. He looked up just in time to see Haiden quickly hiding his letter under his shirt. Uncle Vernon looked at the letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, that Harry had been in the process of unfolding. And in the blink of an eye, the letter had been ripped out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.

"That is mine!" Harry cried out without much thought to the consequences that would come of his actions, his only thought was to retrieve the letter back from his uncle.

"Who'd be writing to you?" Uncle Vernon sneered, shaking the letter open with one hand before glancing at it. Harry watched as his uncle's face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds his face was the grayish white of old porridge. "P-P-Petunia!" He gasped out. Dudley reached over and tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia carefully took the letter and read the first line. For a moment Harry was scared that she might faint and blame him. Aunt Petunia clutched at her throat and made a choking noise.

"Vernon! Oh my goodness- Vernon!" The two of them stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry, Haiden, and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley and Haiden were not used to being ignored like Harry, and so, Dudley gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his new Smelting Stick.

"I want to read that letter!" Dudley demanded loudly. Harry took a deep breath to calm the anger that had flooded him the moment his letter had been taken from him. He gathered his magic, formed it into two lassos and mentally willed them to wrap around his Aunt and Uncle.

"Give me my letter back." Harry said, hoping to be able to Manipulate his Aunt and Uncle into giving the letter back, but Manipulation could only do so much.

"Get out, all three of you." Uncle Vernon croaked, taking the letter back from his wife and stuffing it back inside its envelope. It would appear that the Manipulation had failed.

"Please return the letter that you have stolen from me." Harry tried once more.

"I want to see it!" Dudley demanded once more.

"OUT!" Uncle Vernon roared as he took both Harry and Haiden by the scruff of their necks and threw them into the hall before tossing Dudley out, slamming the kitchen door behind him afterwards. Dudley moved to look through the keyhole but was stopped by Haiden tugging on his shirt. Harry angrily watched Haiden whisper something into Dudley's hair. Harry suddenly remembered that Haiden got the very same letter, and that it was hidden under his shirt. If Harry couldn't read his letter then he would read Haiden's letter. However, before Harry could even gather his magic to use it to Manipulate Haiden into giving up the letter, him and Dudley shot up the stairs.

Furious that the only other letter from Hogwarts was now out of his reach, for he dared not test his brother and cousin by following them, Harry huffed in anger. He began to pace up and down the hall while angrily scolding himself. He should never have tried to read the letter in front of his relatives. Did he honestly believe that his family would just let him have the letter? Harry stopped pacing when Uncle Vernon stormed out of the kitchen, he glared at Harry until he made his way into his cupboard. Harry watched his uncle grab his briefcase and leave for work before stepping out of the cupboard and looked into the kitchen where Aunt Petunia was disposing of the letter.

 **~Birth~**

That evening when Uncle Vernon got home from work he did something he'd never done before: he visited Harry in his cupboard. The second Uncle Vernon began to squeeze himself through the small door, Harry gathered up his magic into a lasso and threw it around his Uncle. "I wish to know who sent me the letter." Harry said.

"No one, it was addressed to you by mistake." Uncle Vernon told him shortly and Harry bit back a growl. Whatever they were trying to do, their will to do it was quite powerful.

"I do not believe you, uncle, it had my cupboard as my address. How could that possibly be a mistake?" Harry asked and received a hit to the side of his head as a response, the hit was hard enough to turn his head.

"SILENCE!" Uncle Vernon roared in anger and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. Uncle Vernon took a few deep breaths as Harry glared at him from the corner of his eye. Harry wanted to lash out at his uncle with his magic, but a voice whispering in the back of his mind told him to wait. It whispered that there would be a day for his revenge, but that day was not today. "Er-yes, Harry- about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking, you're really getting a bit big for it, we think it might be nice if you moved into Haiden's room and share with him.

Harry turned his head so that he was looking into his uncle's eyes while fighting back the urge to demand answers, knowing it would be useless. However, something about to look in Harry's eyes caused fear to flash through his uncle's eyes before anger covered the fear. "Take this stuff upstairs, now!" His uncle told him before squeezing himself back through the cupboard door. Harry took a moment to collect himself before he began to pack up his stuff. It only took one trip upstairs to move what little he was allowed to own from the cupboard to Haiden's room.

Harry paused at the door way to take in the room in front of him. He couldn't see the floor because Haiden's stuff covered it. Both clean and dirty clothes littered the floor, books that Harry would never be allowed to read covered the desk, and there were old candy wrappers lying round. The only clean thing in the room was the run down cot that his loving relatives found in some junk pile. Harry closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths as he heard Haiden bawling at their aunt downstairs.

"I don't want him there! I don't want to share a room with him! Make him get out!" Harry sighed and sat down on his new bed. The feeling was mutual. Harry didn't want to be in this room just as much, if not more, than Haiden wanted him gone.

 **~Birth~**

The breakfast the next morning everyone was rather quiet. Haiden was in shock. He had screamed, whacked their uncle with his Smelting stick, had been sick on purpose, kicked their aunt, and had thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof. However, after all that Haiden still didn't have his room back to himself. Dudley was glaring at Harry who was standing obediently against the wall of the kitchen. And Harry was glaring darkly at the ground in front of him as he mentally berate himself for acting without thinking and getting his letter taken away. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.

When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, in a strange attempt at being nice to Harry, made Dudley collect the mail. They all heard him banging things with his Smelting Stick all the way down the hall. It was silent as everyone waited with bated breath. And then he shouted.

"There's two more! 'Mr. H Potter The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Private Drive-" With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon sprang from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry, with his small form and a little help from his magic, flew past his Uncle. Harry snatched one of the letters from his shocked and confused cousin, but once again he had acted without thinking things through first, and was now trapped between his cousin and his furious Uncle. His uncle dove for Harry and the letter, and Harry dodged out of the way causing his uncle to tackle Dudley. Harry then tried to book it to the cupboard, but his brother, in his curiosity to find out what was going on, had followed them and was now blocking the way. Harry was hit with something hard, Dudley's Smelting Stick, and fell to the ground giving his uncle time to grab the letter as Harry tried to reorient himself.

"Go to your cupboard- I mean, your bedroom." Uncle Vernon growled out. Harry, knowing he had been beaten, climbed to his feet before climbing up the stairs. "Dudley, Haiden, go - just go."

Harry paced around his part of the room. His master would be very disappointed with how he was acting, he needed to calm down and form a plan. Someone in the magical world knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they also appeared to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that would also mean they knew he hadn't received these letters as well and they would try once more? Harry also knew that his uncle was a very cunning man and would know that Harry would be trying to get the letters.

Harry sat down on his bed. If he tried to make any sort of plan to actively get his letters he would need to bring in his brother. However, Harry was smart enough to realize that his brother would immediately run to either his uncle or aunt and inform them. That would just be counter-productive. No, Harry would have to play the long game with this, surely who ever was sending him these letters would realize that he was being kept from them and would have to send someone with his letter.

With a plan created Harry shifted on his bed and began to meditate. He would need quite a bit of patience for this.

 **~Birth~**

The next morning six more letters addressed to him arrived in the mail. Harry had to close his eyes and breathe deeply a few times to calm the anger inside him enough to not act on it when his uncle began to tear the letters into pieces before his eyes. Uncle Vernon did not go into work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot. Harry watched him from the top of the stairs.

"See," He explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them, they'll just give up."

"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."

"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you an me." Uncle Vernon said, trying to knock in a nail with a piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.

On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot, they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides of the door, and a few were even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all of the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so that no one could go out. He hummed 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips' as he worked and jumped at small noises, which Harry found quite entertaining.

On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.

"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement. Harry turned away from watching Aunt Petunia to find Dudley and Haiden standing behind him. While Dudley looked amazed, Haiden was barely hiding his fear.

"It would be easier on everyone if Vernon would stop being stubborn and allow me my letter." Harry told them darkly before walking past the boys and up the stairs towards his shared room with Haiden.

On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy. "No post on Sunday." He reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers. "No damn letters today-" Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. The next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys and Haiden ducked, but Harry sprang into action and tried to catch one.

"Out! OUT!" Uncle Vernon roared as he seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia, Dudley, and Haiden ran out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor. "That does it." Uncle Vernon said trying to speak calmly but was pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave, we're going away, just pack some clothes. No arguments!"

Uncle Vernon looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue, though Harry did have to fight from laughing. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding towards the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.

They drove, and drove, and drove. Harry took this time to meditate. No one dared to ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake'em off, shake'em off." He would mutter whenever he did this.

"They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. And by nightfall, Dudley and Haiden were howling. They'd never had such a bad day in their life. They were hungry, they'd missed five television programs they'd wanted to see, and they'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on their computers. Uncle Vernon finally stopped outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley, Haiden, and Harry were forced to share a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley and Haiden slept, with Dudley snoring loudly, while Harry stayed awake sitting on the windowsill meditating.

The next morning they ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table. "'Scuse me, but is one of you a 'Mr H. Potter'? Only I got about a 'undred of these at the front desk." She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:

 **Mr H. Potter**

 **Room 17**

 **Railview Hotel**

 **Cokeworth**

Harry made a grab for the letter, but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared. "I'll take it." Uncle Vernon said standing up quickly and followed her from the dinning room.

 **~Birth~**

"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, while they were driving, snapping Harry from his meditation with the unexpected sound. However, Uncle Vernon didn't appear to have heard her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car and off they went once more. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.

"Daddy's gone made, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia duly late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared. By this point it had started to rain.

"It's Monday." Haiden muttered darkly. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television." Monday, this alerted Harry to something. If it was Monday - and one could always count on either Dudley or Haiden to know the days of the week because of television- then tomorrow was be Tuesday, Harry and Haiden's eleventh birthday. Of course his birthdays were never exactly fun. Last year the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old shock. It had actually shocked Harry that they had even remembered that it had also been his birthday that day as well as Haiden's (who had gotten 38 presents). Still, one only turned eleven once.

Uncle Vernon was back, and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin brown paper package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he had bought. "Found the perfect place!" He announced. "Come on! Everyone out!" It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea, perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there. "Storm forecast for tonight!" Uncle Vernon announced gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them. "I've already got us some rations." Uncle Vernon said. "So, all aboard!"

It was freezing in the boat, icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what felt like hours, they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house. The inside was horrible, it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. Not only that, but there were only two rooms. Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a back of chips each and five bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.

"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" Uncle Vernon asked cheerfully, he was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought that nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry glanced at the long thin, brown paper package as he bit back the urge to tell his uncle that he could do with some brains.

As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa and, with the rest, made Haiden a bed on the floor. Harry was left without any blankets. She and Uncle Vernon then went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and curled up under his old and thin jacket. But that was just fine with him as he wrapped his magic around him willing it to keep him warm.

The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep and he was too restless to meditate properly. He sighed and turned over, trying to get comfortable. His stomach was rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that had started as the night neared midnight. The lightened dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry that he would be eleven in ten minutes. Harry laid and watch his birthday ticking nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember that it would also be his birthday, because he knew they would never forget that it was Haiden's birthday tomorrow.

Five minutes to go. Harry began to draw himself a birthday cake in the dirt. His head snapped up when he heard something creak outside. Four minutes to go. Perhaps the house in Private Drive would be so full of letters when they returned that he would be able to steal one. Three minutes to go. Was that the sea slapping hard on the rocks like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? One minute to go and he would be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty... ten... nine -perhaps he'd wake Dudley and Haiden up just to annoy them -three... two... one...

BOOM!

The whole shack shook. Harry shot to his feet as Haiden bolted upright alerting Harry that he had been awake the whole time. They glanced at each other before turning back towards the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.


End file.
